Review & Lip Swatches – #CliniqueCrayola Collection

When the new Clinique x Crayola Chubby Sticks arrived on my doorstep just over a week ago, my first thought was: “Hhmmm…. this is very cute, but a little bit unexpected.” At first I couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that a luxury brand like Clinique would collaborate with Crayola. I pondered it for a while, and it eventually made perfect sense to me: In a way, the Clinique Chubby Sticks are the grown-up version of colourful crayons.

The two brands worked together to colour-match existing Chubby Stick shades to fan-favourite Crayola colours i.e. Mauvelous, Wild Strawberry, and Pink Sherbert. These limited edition Chubby Sticks received a slight design upgrade (they now resemble the iconic Crayola crayons) but still pack some serious hydrating punch!

If you’ve never owned a Clinique Chubby Stick, then you’re in for a treat – currently, there are a number of different ‘chubby’ products available: Chubby Stick Shadow Tint For Eyes (the ‘Bountiful Beige’ shade is my fave), Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick (a lightweight sheer coverage foundation), Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm (a sheer lip balm), and Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm (which is a lot more pigmented than the original version).

Today we’ll be chatting about the Chubby Sticks for lips – packed with mango and shea butter, they are mega moisturising and have a non-sticky texture. Very easy to apply, and extremely comfortable on the lips – if you are looking for an tinted balm that provides hydration and just a hint of colour (perfect for on-the-go girls), then these are a great pick!

I’m so over matte liquid lipsticks at the moment, and these are exactly what my lips have been longing for! Sure, they aren’t long-lasting or smudge-proof but these are not really the type of lip product that you’d use for that purpose anyway – they’re tinted lip balms, not lipsticks. And that’s what I like about them, they’re easy to apply and easy to reapply (no mirror needed).

The #CliniqueCrayola collection features 4 Chubby Sticks for lips (3 original versions, and 1 intense version), let me tell you a little bit more about each shade:

Pink Sherbert ♥ A cheerful flamingo pink shade with a sheer finish. This one is great for natural days when you just want to add a hint of colour to the lips, especially if you have a light to medium skin tone. On darker skin tones, I think this might be a bit too light (and almost milky) on the lips. It’s super comfortable to wear all day long thanks to the nourishing formula. ‘Pink Sherbert’ is one of those shades that you can apply without a mirror, and without the fear of it looking cakey or messy.

Wild Strawberry ♥ A bright & juicy red-toned pink shade with a sheer finish. It actually looks a lot more pigmented in the tube, on the lips it gives a very natural rosy red tint (but you can definitely build it up to be more vibrant with a couple of extra swipes). The formula of this one wears quite long (about 3 hours) before fading, and leaves behind a beautiful blush pink stain.

Mauvelous ♥ A sophisticated mauve pink shade with a semi-sheer finish. I say ‘semi-sheer’ because although it’s not as opaque as the ‘Chubby Stick Intense’ balms, it is definitely more pigmented than the 2 aforementioned shades. This one is definitely also buildable, and so with 2 or 3 layers you’ll get really good colour pay-off. ‘Mauvelous’ also leaves a more noticeable tint behind on the lips after the balmy texture has worn off. I really like this one!

Red Violet ♥ A sangria-berry shade with a pigmented finish. This one is really nice for bolder makeup looks or a night out because it is more pigmented and therefore gives you almost like an opaque glossy lipstick look. ‘Red Violet’ starts out like a pigmented balm but you can definitely achieve bolder & stronger coverage with a few extra swipes.

Top Tip: The trick behind these Chubby Sticks is to make sure the tip retains its pencil-like shape, you don’t want to wear the tip down to a little stump because without the pointed tip you can kiss any precision in terms of application goodbye. Here’s my tip: Shape / outline your lips with the tip and then fill them in with the slanted flat side – that way the tip will always remain tapered at the end.

What I love about the Clinique x Crayola collection, is that it features incredibly wearable tones – whether you’re into bold berry pouts or something a little more natural, there’s something for everyone! They also vary from the very sheer to more noticeable & opaque, but all glide across lips effortlessly and leave the lips feeling soft and supple.

They really look so lovely on you. I swatched 2 of them in store (only 1 layer) and I felt they were just really expensive lip balms. I think I expected more colour payoff, but they were the 2 lighter shades and I see now you’re saying they are buildable so I needed to layer them.

Personally wouldn’t pay R299 for these, but they look great on you, I love red violet on you. xxxx

They are definitely luxury lip balms, something to treat yourself with – mainly because they contain really great moisturising and nourishing ingredients. 🙂 If I had to apply just 1 layer of each one, I think only ‘Red Violet’ would show up with just a single layer. xo

They are definitely some of the most hydrating balms currently in my collection, plus I like the pigmentation (not too intense). 🙂 I hope you are enjoying your new ‘Wild Strawberry’ Chubby Stick, Talya. 😉